THE RESPONSE:
Watching the updates on TV of today’s vicious attack in London, from my armchair a world away in New York has left me angry but proud.
Angry that the world that we live in is so full of hatred, and the public can’t get on with daily routines without being endangered…yes, the world we live in now.
Yet proud of the response of two very different groups of actors.
Firstly the police, who arrived on London Bridge and took care of the threat within seconds with minimum fuss, in the rightful guise of the professional responders. Secondly, the brave members of the public, who were probably strangers to one another, yet decided mob handedly to step forward and take down the attacker as he either made his escape or was planning on taking out others…they are the real first responders and heroes in my book.
We don’t and probably never will have all the relevant information, and I can only go on what I’m seeing and reading through the snippets from the media. However, there is enough there to see how many had responded.
In the situation of a mass shooting or mass stabbing (knife or machete/sword) every member of the public caught in the scenario has three choices…to run, hide or fight. It was good to see that those three options were being put to good use by the majority.
The ideal being to run, and therefore off to safety…speed plus distance equaling survival. However, if you’re caught close in to the attacker, gun or knife, you’ll probably have to fight, mob handedly at best…and attempt to disarm and kill the attacker…yes, kill the attacker, before he kills again.
When a man confronts you with a big stick, you go into the woods and come out with a bigger stick…my mantra always when running’s not an option.
Today, the police became the bigger stick, in today’s society when there’s a crazed terrorist on the streets wounding or killing people, there is only one answer…to kill him. With that response, he will never wound or kill ever again.
A huge well done to the professional responders for their swift response and eliminating the threat within seconds of arriving. A huge well done too to the first responders, those heroes from the public who took it upon themselves to step forward and take down the attacker, thereby ensuring that no more of the public would be injured or killed. A task completed by two very different groups of actors on the day, yet to me the ones willing to step up to the plate.
Bob Shepherd 
Wise words well put Bob, in a world where decent people are placed in front of cowardly and brutal attacks such as this the attackers need to be faced with an even more brutal response often by people for whom violent action is not the norm.
Endorse your comments regarding the response Bob.Fantastic drills on both fronts.But yet again the system that put these idiots behind bars only to let him out and to make matters worse fail to monitor said individual.Makes you wonder
Great drills by all.Let down by the system that put these people behind bars and the early release and not properly monitored
Hello again Mucker! I agree whole-heartedly with you mate!
And had to smile when I found out that the first two blokes that confronted the attacker were ‘Armed’ with a 5ft long Narwhale tusk and a fire extinguisher! but still ‘Went in swinging’ ‘!
The ‘Bulldog Spirit’ still lives on, despite the best efforts of the ‘PC Brigade!
‘Nunquam Non Paratus’ mucker,
and all the best to you and yours!
‘Woolfie’